Jon James & The Trashcan Fantasy Danceband
Jon James
© Copyright-Pound-o-flesh Music
(789577130524)
Record Label: 999 Manifesto
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After years of laying in wait and silently honing his own fits of fancy, Jon James -- the Twin Cities' favorite sideman and sleeper guitar harlot - has finally stepped up to the vocal mic with his debut solo release, JON JAMES & THE TRASHCAN FANTASY DANCEBAND.
James is well-known on the Minneapolis scene, having collaborated with a large array of high-profile acts. But he has rarely put forth foot as a songwriter or bandleader in his own right. The Trashcan Fantasy is just that -- an imagining of what his dream band might sound like, in all their far-out idealism and awkward teenage fumbling.
But don’t be fooled. Hype is hype, and James seems to enjoy the deflection. While he revels in both tongue-in-cheek sensationalism and overly self-deprecating tone, the FANTASY is actually an impressive collection of straightforward, catchy songs and airtight performances. With smarty-pants flair, James offers sweet & sour three-minute anthems that meld elements of Brit Invasion, '70s Glam and Power-pop. In fact, while the retro feel is a calculated nod, James also has a keen eye for current affairs -- he lambastes the state-of-the-state by relentlessly poking fun at insipid pop trends, yet winds up sounding imminently "pop-ish." A gem of a debut album for lovers of old school radio, indie ethics and modern rock alike.
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author: Joel Criner
Jon James has made a beautifully melodic, reflectively sad, and joyfully fluttering music experience. His comforting, dreamy vocals are immediately immerging, and his music has a way of making you feel like a participant--like maybe we're ALL in his band when it's playing on the CD machine..."(So Far) Off Broadway" is my favorite track, but all the songs are great, each, together, making up a contiguously continuous, whole experience that will transport you, and perhaps incite you to create some dreamlike place of your own that James hasn't yet seen or imagined. And although the imagery and music is potent, it is not demanding. While listening, certain phrases and sounds set me off on my own for a bit. After a few seconds, when I returned back to the song, it seemed to be sitting there ready and waiting for me to hitch back on. What a great album. When is he gonna make the next one? How can I help?
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author: Pop Culture Press
Jon James is a one-man-band indie pop guy, and a talented one at that … an excellent collection of well-crafted pop songs, lyrically smart and musically polished … with songs about speed queens and Britney strip fantasies, there's not a whiff of self-involved, whiny singer/songwriter music to be found … far better than most current self-played, self-produced records … well worth a listen or ten. (Kent Benjamin)
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author: South of Mainstream
Each song shines in a Weezer-like construction of pop gleam … an album that requires more listens and more thought than a conventional pop album demands … pick up James' record and pay attention.
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Album of the Month, May 2003
author: Past & Present Music (Denmark)
There's no doubt that there is being released a lot of really good independent music worldwide these days, but it doesn't happen very often that a self-released album actually is chosen as the album of the month from the 50 or thereabout CD's reviewed in every issue in Past and Present Music. There might have been self-released albums that have deserved that honor in the past, but it hasn't happened since we started choosing the album of the month. Until now, that is, as there's a first time for everything … "Turn It On/High On Flashback" is one of the best songs I've heard all year … I love it. Enough said. (Hans Jakup
Eidisgard)
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